Wow, there is a lot of sagebrush in the southwestern United States!
I am in the back seat of a minivan with a computer on my lap as my 16-year-old drives. It’s pretty bouncy and weavy! He is trying to get his driving hours completed so he can get his driver’s license, and what better time than on a family road trip?. . . if mom’s nerves can stand it! Dad’s been sworn to zip his lips, since he can get verbally excited when teenagers are learning to drive!
Planting a seed, watering and weeding, watching it grow, and finally eating the fruit of your labor is a fabulous lesson! Help your kids get enthused to plant a garden with these fun ideas!
Nothing spurs interest like success! Radishes grow so quickly—just 20 days until harvest—that kids can almost watch them growing. Even if radishes aren’t a favorite, it is worth the price of a seed packet to see such excited kids contributing to the dinner salad. Water them plenty and they won’t be hot.
How fun was it painting in Assignment #4? Time for your next task:
My son Mark graduates from the university!
Did you do Assignment #3? Here’s my favorite assignment:
Easy and fun. Just get out watercolor paints. You can use whatever you have. The cheap kind that are in a box with a brush inside is fine. Or use more exotic art supplies. A fine point brush is great for adding details if you have one. Q-tips even work. Set the dining room table with paper cups half fun of water, some rags or paper towels and a stack of blank paper. Put a newspaper sheet on each person’s spot to give them license to paint right up to and over the edge of their paper.
All done with Assignment #2? Are your kids reading more? Are you? Are you having fun? Here’s what’s next:
Scoutmaster Dad and Ammon
Considering homeschooling? Try my simple assignments to see if your children would enjoy being homeschooled.
Stash an empty apple box or wagon in the back of your van and go to the library. Take the kids with you. When you get there, if you don’t have one, get a library card. Set up the kids at a little table with a stack of books to keep them happy. Treat yourself to some time to pick out one of two magazines or books that interest you. (Your children need to see you being a good example of reading, you know, plus you need something to enjoy in your “self-renewal time”.)
Did you do Assignment #1? Did your kids enjoy it? If so, try the next very simple step!
That’s right. It will just take you 10 minutes. It is fun! Just read your children a story out loud. If they aren’t all home, that is okay. If Dad is present and wants to enjoy, so much the better. The age of your children doesn’t matter. Teens like stories just as adults and preschoolers and all ages do.
One day when Louisa was nearly 3 years old, I told her to shut the door and she answered, “In a minute!”. I wanted her to learn cheerful and prompt obedience. I tried to explain that to her, and I made sure she shut the door, but I wondered if she really understood that “in […]
